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Sunday - February 26, 2017


Principal's Letter


MESSAGE FROM MAMADOU


Announcements


CALLING ALL SENIOR PARENTS
AP EXAM REGISTRATION


Events


ARTRAGEOUS: TODAY!
QUAKER LIFE OPPORTUNITIES: FEB. 27, MARCH 9
BLOOD DRIVE: MARCH 1
PARENT PEER GROUPS, GRADES 9-11: MARCH 1
SFS NIGHT AT THE OPERA: MARCH 3
BASKETBALL GAME: MARCH 4
APOLLO ORCHESTRA AND SFS CHORUS: MARCH 5
EJC BOOK DISCUSSION, "WE GON' BE ALRIGHT": MARCH 7


Other


QUAKER QUOTES AND QUESTIONS


News Around the School


Principal's Letter


MESSAGE FROM MAMADOU
Dear Friends,

These springlike days have been a lovely respite from winter temperatures. Students have been taking advantage of the sunshine, spending time in our campus gardens and fields during lunch and free periods.

At Wednesday’s Collection, Upper School students had the chance to meet this year’s John Fisher Zeidman ’79 Memorial lecturer. Eric Liu is a civic entrepreneur and a former speechwriter and policy advisor for President Clinton. He spoke to students about the importance of responsible and ethical civic engagement and called on them to become citizen activists. His message was timely and inspiring.
February 24 was the last day of winter PE classes. Spring sports will begin February 27, and spring PE classes will begin March 6. Please encourage your child to check his or her PE class schedule. Questions about PE should be directed to Anne Renninger at renningera@sidwell.edu.
The third quarter ends March 9, and March 10 is report-writing day for faculty, so no classes will be held then. Students may enjoy the day at home! Third-quarter report cards will be posted on Friday, March 24.
Please remember to get your tickets for Rent, which will run March 17 through March 19. You can reserve a seat here.
Warmly,
Mamadou

Mamadou Guèye
Upper School Principal
Sidwell Friends School


Announcements


CALLING ALL SENIOR PARENTS
The Senior Celebration (one of several social events for the senior class this spring) is the traditional, on-campus, Parents Association-sponsored evening in honor of our almost-graduates, complete with food, fun, and parent-provided entertainment! The event will include silly skits, songs, and slide shows. All parents get to be onstage!
The event will take place on Saturday, June 3, 6:00–9:00 p.m., at the Kogod Arts Center. Please save the date.
Thanks very much to everyone who has volunteered to help so far. The teams have been working to put together a general outline for how the evening might proceed. We invite all senior parents to join us for our second grade-wide meeting on Tuesday, March 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the US choral room. This is your chance to provide input and make sure you agree with where the teams are heading. Don’t miss the opportunity to help make this a memorable celebration for the entire class. And it is not too late to volunteer—we will definitely need more help! Please reach out if you are interested.
Peggy Dotzel and Jackie Roberts
Senior Celebration Chairs
(margaret.dotzel@verizon.net; jroberts3413@gmail.com)

AP EXAM REGISTRATION
Advanced Placement exam registration is now available online. Students who plan to take an AP exam at Sidwell Friends School must register online by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15. The cost per exam is $93. Financial aid may be available for eligible students. Please contact Cory Zimmerman in the college counseling office for more information at zimmermanc@sidwell.edu.
A confirmation will be delivered to the parent’s e-mail address indicated on the page to verify that the registration process was completed.


Events


ARTRAGEOUS: TODAY!
See you in and around the Kogod Center for the Arts from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. for performances, projects, and food!

QUAKER LIFE OPPORTUNITIES: FEB. 27, MARCH 9
Please note these two upcoming events for US and MS parents:
Monday, February 27: MS and US parents are invited to join us for coffee and conversation in the Zartman Drawing Room from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. We will have time to reflect, share, and, of course, enjoy coffee and tea.
Thursday, March 9: MS parents are invited to join students at Meeting for Worship at 8:00 a.m.; US parents are welcome at meeting at 9:35 a.m. Both will be held in the Robert L. Smith Meeting Room. Join us for coffee beforehand in the lobby.

BLOOD DRIVE: MARCH 1
If you are age 17 or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, and have been free of a cold or any cold-like symptoms for at least three days, you are invited to donate blood on Wednesday, March 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The goal is to collect a minimum of 20 to 30 units of blood for children who are chronically ill and being treated by Children's National Medical Center. Please register here, where you will also find additional information on donor eligibility.
The bloodmobile will arrive at approximately 9:30 a.m. in Zartman Circle to set up and prepare for the first donor at 10:00 a.m. Please eat a well-balanced meal and drink at least 16 ounces of water before donating. Once on site, you will be asked to present a photo ID (driver’s license, passport, or college/school ID with a picture). Delicious snacks will be provided afterward, and every successful donor will receive a free T-shirt!
This is our opportunity to make a difference for children in need. Currently, the hospital is treating more than 1,400 children with sickle cell disease and many more with chronic illnesses. One unit of blood can help four or five children! (Did you know? A newborn has approximately one teacup's worth of blood.)


PARENT PEER GROUPS, GRADES 9-11: MARCH 1
Parents in grades 9, 10, and 11 are invited to join the final parent peer group sessions of the year on Wednesday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m. We will start with an informal combined reception and then, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., break into groups according to grade. Come gather with your fellow parents to discuss nonacademic, grade-specific issues in a friendly and supportive environment!

SFS NIGHT AT THE OPERA: MARCH 3

Join members of the Sidwell Friends community at the Kennedy Center on Friday, March 3, to see Dead Man Walking, an opera inspired by the true story of Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun who has devoted her life to ending capital punishment. Written by Jake Heggie, it focuses on Helen’s experiences counseling a convicted murderer on Louisiana’s death row, as well as on her interactions with his family and the families of his victims. The emotionally powerful drama raises fundamental—and difficult—questions not simply about the death penalty but also about the nature of justice, suffering, compassion, and redemption.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with opera insights from SFS History Department Chair Steve Steinbach. The performance begins at 7:30.
The Washington National Opera has presented Sidwell Friends with a special offer. Mention offer number 245112 while ordering Kennedy Center tickets by phone or when purchasing at the box office for 20 percent off select orchestra seats on this night only.
Click here to order tickets online.

BASKETBALL GAME: MARCH 4
Here’s a chance to cheer for an alumnus playing at the next level! The PA Athletics Committee is encouraging basketball fans to come to the Georgetown-Villanova basketball game at the Verizon Center on Saturday, March 4, at 12:00 p.m. The Sidwell Friends community will have a chance to see Josh Hart ’13 in action for Villanova against our hometown Big East team.
To purchase tickets, please call Grace White at 202-661-5087 or e-mail her at gwhite@monumentalsports.com, and she will try to seat you next to other SFS fans. Tickets are $27 (400 section) and $43 (200 section) and must be reserved by February 27. If you have questions, please e-mail the PA Athletics Committee at PA.Athletics@sidwell.edu.
Additionally, the Athletics Committee will have a table at ArtRageous where you can add your signature to posters celebrating Josh and SFS. We encourage everyone in the Sidwell Friends community to stop by!

APOLLO ORCHESTRA AND SFS CHORUS: MARCH 5
There will be a fabulous, free orchestral and choral performance in the Robert L. Smith Meeting Room on Sunday, March 5, at 3:00 p.m. Click here for more information about the program and the Apollo Orchestra.

EJC BOOK DISCUSSION, "WE GON' BE ALRIGHT": MARCH 7
Don't miss the first PA Equity, Justice, and Community (EJC) book discussion of 2017: We will read and assess We Gon' Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation, by Jeff Chang.
We will meet at the Lower School Meeting House (5100 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda) on Tuesday, March 7, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. Our conversation, a follow-up to our well-attended fall EJC gathering, will cover a breadth of issues and challenges. Our yearlong theme is “identity,” and we seek a rich diversity of opinions and experiences on this topic.
We will be joined by Jen Cort, an educational consultant and former Middle School counselor, and Philip McAdoo, the director of EJC.
RSVP here. Please remember to indicate if childcare is needed.
If you have questions, please contact MS EJC co-clerks Priya Parikh (priyap4@gmail.com) or Marjan Ehsassi (marjanehsassi@hotmail.com) or US EJC co-clerks Robert Wilson-Black (robwilsonblack@gmail.com) or Mark Faison (mark.faison@outlook.com).


Other


QUAKER QUOTES AND QUESTIONS
How do Quakers view the death penalty? Sister Helen Prejean, a leading activist against the death penalty, recently spoke at Upper School about her fight to see mercy replace execution in the application of justice. At first blush, it seems obvious that Quakers would oppose the death penalty, but is that true? Are there any official doctrines that address it?

Practicing Quakers frequently find themselves brought back, sometimes abruptly, to the centrality that the only concept approaching doctrine among Friends is the belief in an equal, universal connection to the divine Truth, as expressed by the tenet "there is that of God in everyone." All Quaker testimonies and values flow from that through earnest, worshipful, and cooperative Truth-seeking—but these forever remain open and living questions, rather than being closed and sealed into a creed.
Ethical challenges that walk a knife's edge between competing goods—Is violence ever justified? How do we feel about abortion? Do we agree with the death penalty?—often require the deepest, hardest work from us as individuals. It is not uncommon for Friends to feel settled, individually and in community, on an answer to one of these questions and then be startled to meet another Friend who has settled differently, at least in a particular moment and circumstance.
That said, many Friends, both as individuals and in groups, have devoted much effort to opposing the death penalty. There tend to be two core issues that Friends focus on. The first is a particularly Quakerly concern: If I condone taking a life in the name of justice, am I not claiming to know more of God’s will than the condemned? How can that be, if that of God within us is equal—and how can it be God’s will that my portion of God should act to remove the condemned person’s portion of God from this life?

The second is a more universal question: If we are in this life to learn and grow, how does removing the condemned from this life help them in that process? If the goal of punishment is to help individuals redirect their life, what conceivable purpose does death serve as punishment?
However, like so many others, the question remains open for each of us. As one Friend wrote this week, “I grew up in Texas in a very pro-death-penalty culture, and I still wrestle with this question.”
Quaker quotes alternate with questions about Quakerism in this newsletter feature. To ask a question about Quaker history or practices, e-mail our Sidwell Friends Quaker Life Committee's authors at quakerquestions@sidwell.edu.


Upper School Weekly E-Newsletter Submissions

How to Submit an Article to the E-Newsletter. Fill out the form at www.sidwell.edu/submit by 12:00 p.m. Thursday.

Note Concerning the School Calendar: The calendar entries that appear in the right column of each Newsletter are automatically generated by the official school calendar and are not subject to editing by the Newsletter Editors. All changes or additions to the school calendar must be made through the school scheduling office, reachable at: scheduling@sidwell.edu.

The Upper School Weekly E-Newsletter is a forum for communication among parents and is designed to provide announcements concerning school events or information. E-newsletter submissions should be filled out at www.sidwell.edu/submit.


Calendar


Sun, Feb 26th

Artrageous

Arts Center, RLS Meeting Room, Choral Arts Room, Rosenberg Theater, Theater Arts Studio
1:00pm - 4:00pm


Mon, Feb 27th

PA-Quaker Conversation & Coffee

Zartman Drawing Room
8:00am - 9:00am


Track Student Meeting

Rusch Team Room
3:30pm - 4:15pm


Global Programs Parent and Student Orientation

Choral Music Room
6:00pm - 8:00pm


US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Tue, Feb 28th

9th Grade Parent Coffee with US Adm

RLS Meeting Room
8:00am - 8:45am


US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Wed, Mar 1st

US PA Steering Committee Meeting

Rusch Team Room
8:05am - 9:35am


Sidwell Blood Drive

Zartman circle
10:00am - 3:30pm


US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Parent Peer Group Meetings for Grades 9, 10, 11th

US
6:30pm


Thu, Mar 2nd

Lower School - NO SCHOOL (Parent Conference)


PA Executive Committee

Rusch Team Room
8:30am - 9:30am


US MFW

RLS Meeting Room
9:35am - 10:20am


Parent Meeting

Rusch Team Room
6:00pm - 7:00pm


US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Fri, Mar 3rd

Dead Man Walking - Opera

Kennedy Center


Lower School & Middle School - NO SCHOOL (Parent Conferences/Faculty Report Writing)


Sat, Mar 4th

Model UN Conference

RLS Meeting Room + MS Drama Studio + AC Theater + US Choral Room + US Dining Room + US Room 104/106 + US K 19 + MS Grade 7 & 8 Classrooms+ US Library
7:00am - 6:00pm


SSAT Testing

Upper School Classrooms
8:00am - 2:00pm


HS Invitational Jazz Festival

Georgetown Day School - 4200 Davenport St, NW - Washington DC 20016
12:00pm - 5:30pm


Sun, Mar 5th

Apollo Orchestra Concert

RLS Meeting Room
12:00pm - 6:00pm


US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
1:00pm - 5:00pm


Apollo Orchestra, SFS Chorus, and Opera Singers Concert

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room
3:00pm - 5:00pm


Mon, Mar 6th

US Admissions Revisit Day

US
8:30am - 2:30pm


US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Tue, Mar 7th

Admissions Revisit Day

Zartman Drawing Room
2:00pm - 3:00pm


US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 9:00pm


EJC Book Club

LS Quaker Meeting House
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Wed, Mar 8th

US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Zeidman Lecture - Internal


6:00pm - 9:00pm


Thu, Mar 9th

12th Grade Parent Coffee with Adm

Choral Music Room
8:00am - 8:45am


Parents Invited - US Meeting for Worship

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room
9:35am - 10:20am


US Global Programs Student Orientation Dinner

US Dining Room
4:00pm - 7:00pm


US Musical - Rehearsal

Caplin Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Fri, Mar 10th

Upper School - NO SCHOOL (Faculty Report Writing)


AC in DC

RLS Meeting Room + Caplin Theater
6:00pm - 10:00pm


Sat, Mar 11th

SAT Testing on Campus

Upper School
8:00am - 2:00pm


US Musical - Dry Tech

Caplin Theater
12:00pm - 5:30pm


Sun, Mar 12th

US Musical - Wet Tech

Caplin Theater
12:00pm - 5:00pm


Mon, Mar 13th

US Musical - Supper & Rehearsal

Kogod Lobby, Caplin Theater
5:00pm - 9:00pm


Tue, Mar 14th

US Musical - Supper & Rehearsal

Kogod Lobby, Caplin Theater
5:00pm - 9:00pm


Senior Celebration Planning Meeting for Parents

Choral Music Room
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Wed, Mar 15th

US Musical - Supper & Rehearsal

Kogod Lobby, Caplin Theater
5:00pm - 6:00pm


Thu, Mar 16th

9th & 10th Grade Parent Conversations with College Counseling

Choral Music Room
8:00am - 8:45am


US MFW

RLS Meeting Room
9:35am - 10:20am


US Musical - Supper

Kogod Lobby
5:00pm - 6:00pm


US Musical Dress Rehearsal

Caplin Theater
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Fri, Mar 17th

US Musical - Prep & Performance

Caplin Theater + Rosenberg Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 11:00pm


US Musical - "RENT" (School Edition)

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater
8:00pm - 10:00pm

Visit this Link


Sat, Mar 18th

US Musical - Prep & Performance

Caplin Theater + Rosenberg Theater + Theatre Arts Studio
6:00pm - 11:00pm


US Musical - "RENT" (School Edition)

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater
8:00pm - 10:00pm

Visit this Link


More


Athletics


Sun, Feb 26th

Basketball - Girls Varsity vs. ISL Tournament


2:45pm


Basketball - Boys Varsity vs. MAC Tournament


5:00pm


Sat, Mar 4th

Lacrosse - Girls Varsity - Lax Play Day


10:00am


Tue, Mar 7th

Lacrosse - Girls Varsity at Bishop McNamara


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity - Scrimmage vs. Walter Johnson HS


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Girls Junior Varsity at Bishop McNamara


5:30pm


Thu, Mar 9th

Tennis - Boys Varsity vs. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:00pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity vs. St. John's College High School


4:15pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:30pm


Softball - Varsity - Scrimmage vs. Parkdale HS


4:30pm


Sat, Mar 11th

Baseball - Varsity - Scrimmage vs. Cardozo


11:00am


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity vs. DC Classic vs. School Without Walls


3:00pm


Mon, Mar 13th

Lacrosse - Boys Varsity - Scrimmage vs. Choate Rosemary Hall


4:30pm


Baseball - Junior Varsity at George Mason


6:00pm


Tue, Mar 14th

Baseball - Varsity vs. Wilson H.S.


4:00pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity vs. Brookewood


4:30pm


Softball - Varsity vs. George Mason


4:30pm


Tennis - Boys Varsity vs. Landon


4:30pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity at Landon


4:30pm


Wed, Mar 15th

Track & Field - Boys Varsity at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:00pm


Track & Field - Girls Varsity at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:00pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity at Calverton


4:30pm


Thu, Mar 16th

Lacrosse - Boys Varsity vs. Pallotti HS


4:30pm


Baseball - Varsity at Riverdale Baptist


4:30pm


Softball - Varsity vs. Bullis


4:30pm


Tennis - Boys Varsity at St. Albans


4:30pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity vs. St. Albans


4:30pm


Fri, Mar 17th

Softball - Varsity at Stone Ridge School


4:15pm


Sat, Mar 18th

Baseball - Varsity at Model Secondary School


11:00am


Baseball - Junior Varsity vs. Maret School


11:00am


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity at Bishop Ireton


2:30pm


More


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